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Superintendent Darrin Tomkins, of Essex Police, has said the Pakistan International Airlines plane held at Stansted Airport will remain at its current location. This incident is being treated as a criminal offence.

If any relatives of passengers want to contact the police with further questions please ring:

Passengers disembark the aircraft which was diverted from Manchester to Stansted in an apparent security alert Credit: Chris Radburn/PA Wire/Press Association Images

According to one of the passengers, the aircraft's cabin crew said two men had repeatedly tried to get into the cockpit.

Umari Nauman told Sky News: "The cabin crew informed us that basically they tried to come into the cockpit a few times and because they had been asked not to do that they got into a bit of an argument with the crew and made a few threats."

She said all the passengers had been ordered to leave their possessions on board before leaving the plane.

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A spokesman for Stansted Airport said passengers were being taken off the plane.

"They will be taken to a reception centre in the airport where police may wish to interview them about what they have seen. At some point police and the airline will arrange for their onward transportation to Manchester."

A Manchester Airport spokesman said:

"The plane - flight number PK709 - was travelling from Lahore and had 297 passengers on board. For further information for friends or family who were due to meet the flight at Manchester please call 0800 140 4007.

Two men have been arrested at Stansted Airport on suspicion of endangerment of an aircraft today after an RAF Typhoon jet was scrambled to escort a passenger plane travelling from Pakistan to the UK, Essex Police say.

The very same plane was diverted to Stansted due to a bomb scare 2 years ago Credit: Chris Radburn/PA Wire/Press Association Images

An MoD spokesman said the incident was now a police matter and "our involvement is over".

He said Typhoon jets can be scrambled after the pilot or crew of a passenger aircraft sends out an emergency signal.

"The purpose of going up is to investigate what the situation is," he said. "Often when a Quick Reaction Alert aircraft is launched the details are not known, but it is known that a signal has been sent. Part of the purpose of sending a Typhoon up is to have a look and see what they can see."

The very same plane on the very same flight - from Lahore to Manchester - had been diverted to Stansted on September 7 2011 due to a bomb scare.